Tony Awards Red Carpet: Dresses to Impress, and the Men Wore Them Well

Billy Porter has been shutting down pink carpets all 12 months, chopping by means of seas of conventional robes and tuxes in gender-bending, head-turning clothes.

In January, he owned the Oscars’ pink carpet in an unlimited, completely tailor-made tuxedo robe. In May, at the Met Gala, he wore a bodysuit dripping in gold with large golden wings, and a 24-karat-gold headpiece. He was carried by six shirtless males in gold trousers.

The Tony Awards pink carpet on Sunday was no totally different, besides this time Mr. Porter wasn’t alone in difficult gender norms.

[“Hadestown triumphed at the Tony Awards.]

Some expressions had been refined — Jeremy Pope, the star of “Choir Boy” and “Ain’t Too Proud,” and Michael Urie, the star of “High Button Shoes,” wore fits adorned with ruffles — however others, like Mr. Porter’s, had been simple.

The hand-sewn Elizabethan gown, which incorporated plenty of pink, was created by Celestino Couture — the designer Sergio Guadarrama and the creative director Cade Johnson — which works with upcycled fabrics.

The gown includes thousands of embroidered flower clusters, a corseted bodice and a skirt that mimics a bloom, opening to a pair of cigarette pants also made from the curtain.

On Sunday’s red carpet, Mr. Porter, who’s presenting at the Tonys for the first time, said: “I’m not doing it for show. It’s inside of me. It’s who I am.”

“It’s great to have been given a second shot for mainstream success,” he went on.

Of the rainbow of flowers that served as a backdrop to the red carpet for L.G.B.T.Q. Pride Month, Mr. Porter said: “It’s about the community coming together. It’s about us understanding that we’re not free until we’re all free.”

Around Mac’s shoulder was a metal, sparkling shawl in a squared, spiral pattern. Mac also wore a full face of theatrical makeup and a shimmering multicolored head piece that resembled a fountain, calling the look “Greek, Roman inspired.”

A performance artist who was nominated this year for “Gary” (it opened in April), Mac has long snubbed traditional notions of gender and uses “judy” as a pronoun.

“I don’t think there are any rules other than the ones you set for yourself,” Mac said on the red carpet. “I spent too many years being a cater waiter to enjoy wearing a tux. If there’s an opportunity to present art to the world, you should take it.”

Jordan Roth, a prominent Broadway theater owner and producer, wore an outfit that was fiery red from head to toe, including a floor-length red sequin cape. It was created by Clare Waight Keller of Givenchy and inspired by the musical “Hadestown.” He said he sees his red carpet appearances as “short performance pieces” that allow him to express who he is.

Mr. Roth said that these days there are fewer rules governing gender expression at these high-profile events — but only if you allow yourself to go against the grain when it comes to apparel.

“The strongest rules come from within and those are the hardest to break,” he said, “Every time you do, it gets easier and it feels better and better.”